At the present time, surgical scalpels comprise a handle to which cutting blades are attached. The handles may be of plastic but the preferred handle is made of metal because the weight and rigidity of metal assist the surgeon in operating. Because of this, the typical handle requires some machining to form parts to which a blade can be secured and as a result, the handle is relatively expensive and is not considered a disposable device.
The present invention provides a handle for a detachable surgical blade, the handle being of metal but being so constructed that it lends itself to lower-cost manufacturing methods than prior art metal handles. Although the handle is inexpensive enough to be disposable, it is so constructed that it can be re-used for a relatively large number of times. In addition, the handle of the invention provides improved support for surgical blades of different sizes.